CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE

{ The Unseen Threat}

The room fell into a tense silence after my declaration. Everyone was processing the gravity of the situation, the reappearance of Jonas, and the manipulations of Akuma. There was no denying it—we were up against a formidable threat. But for now, we had the element of surprise. I needed to leverage that to our advantage. I knew that with Akuma back in the game, there was a chance of more threats.

Rosetta clung to my arm, her face a mix of relief and worry. "Fred, what do we do next?" she asked softly.

"First, we need to gather as much intel as possible about Jonas and Akuma's plans," I said, looking around at my friends. "Zack, you and Diana should try to get close to Jonas without raising suspicion. We need to know his next move. Also, we need to see if we can try to convince Alex and his crew to still join us. They should know the world they love and knew would be destroyed if Akuma had it."

Zack nodded, determination etched on his face. "Got it. We'll keep tabs